20 June - World Refugee Day
20 June 2021 News
The international community has been celebrating the World Refugee Day for 20 years.
On June 20, we honour the strength and resilience of refugees and displaced persons around the world and pay respect and recognition to the communities that receive them and provide them with food and shelter, as an expression of humanity, compassion and shared values.
The World Refugee Day is also an occasion to evaluate the work and reaffirm our support for the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the international humanitarian organisations, which, together with the medical staff, are at the forefront of assessing and meeting the humanitarian needs of individuals in need of support.
This year, the number of people leaving their homes due to military conflicts, gross human rights violations, persecution, natural disasters and the impact of climate change has reached one percent of the world's population. This comes against the backdrop of the fight against the global pandemic, which has affected everyone's lives and livelihoods, but is particularly difficult for refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons and stateless persons, who have very limited access to health care, sanitation and social protection.
During the global health crisis, it is particularly important to preserve the ability of persons in need to have access to and benefit from international protection procedures and mechanisms, as well as to maintain the prospect of their integration into host communities or for safe and voluntary return.
Bulgaria, as an EU member state, is part of the global response to the pandemic and of the solidarity efforts to meet the humanitarian needs of refugees and other people who have left their homes at the risk of their lives.
Our country attaches great importance and actively participates in the Team Europe approach to a single European response to the health crisis, consistently fulfils its commitments to implement and comply with International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees and its Protocol, supports the The Global Refugee Pact, and is implementing the voluntary commitments made in the framework of the Global Refugee Forum in 2019.
Bulgaria views its policy of protection of refugee rights as an expression of its commitment to democratic values and respect for human rights, seeks to increase its support for refugees and host countries, and calls for enhanced global solidarity towards people in need.